Board Resolution ~ 01/14/2008

Concerning Judicial Pay Legislation

Resolution of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Concerning Judicial Pay Legislation

Washington, DC January 14, 2008*

WHEREAS, NACDL recognizes that appropriate compensation is essential to maintaining an independent and capable federal judiciary.

WHEREAS, NACDL concurs with Chief Justice Roberts, as stated in his 2007 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary, that “salary restoration legislation is vital now that the denial of annual increases over the years has left federal judges . . . earning about the same as (and in some cases less than) first-year lawyers at firms in major cities, where many of the judges are located.”

WHEREAS, NACDL strongly supports legislation pending before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to adjust the salaries of federal judges to reflect the same cost-of-living pay adjustments that other federal employees have received since 1989.